Strictly Social
Common Roots Brewing Company

Tall can

Pours clouded, especially the later near chunky pours.

Fruity and tea infused nose and on the palate, strawberries, hibiscus, tea, melon, mango....complex, brightly flavorful and well worth a try.

This is a fantastic pale ale. I mean FANTASTIC. The low rating is shocking. It's a little darker and ever so slightly sweeter than you prototypical BA pale ale but amazingly done, on purpose. Embrace this complex beer at 4.8% for what it is and enjoy.

Canned 6/11

Pours a weird pink auburn color, light fizzy head, no lacing a bit of retention

Nose fruity, a little tart and some hibiscus notes, mild berry strawberry like aroma, touch of tropical but barely

Taste starts sweet, little tart with mild acidic tart lemony grapefruit, then faint strawberry and papaya generic tropical with hops turning very spicy and astringent, mild hibiscus notes, grapefruit rind big time and sour and bitter grapefruit,

Mouth is med to lighter bod a bit thin, very fizzy carb, little astringent and tart

Overall really don't think it's supposed to be tart, grapefruit was ok, faint strawberry was nice, hibiscus didn't blend as well, and hops for really bitter astringent as it went, kind meh

 

 

Can to becher pint glass.
The appearance, well, I swear it looks exactly like someone took a ruby red grapefruit and squeezed the sucker til it was bone dry. Then I see those little leaflet-like dark lines one sees in strawberries. Yes, I see them floating all around. If the Brewers actually squeezed strawberries into this beer I guess that's what would explain the quickly dissipating white foamy head. No lace was left but real strawberries in this would probably do that to a head.
The aroma had a sour grapefruity edge up front that seemed to thresh into some tart and sweet strawberry than that "hay-like" semi-funky yeast I usually get from a Kent Falls beer. I like yeast Kent Falls uses, so this isn't a knock on the beer at all.
The flavor definitely melds the grapefruit, strawberry, and "hay"/sweet grass altogether. I believe the yeast ends up adding that noticeable dry sweet grassiness. Mild aftertaste of ruby red grapefruit with grassy/hay sweet mild quality.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a fair sipping quality about it. They call this a "sessionable pale ale" but I don't exactly see this as one. Carbonation felt good. ABV felt on par. Sour to tart grapefruity edge on the finish.
Overall, pretty nice Summer sipper but not exactly very sessionable as the brewers suggest. If anything, if they do this again, tell Kent Falls to cut back on their yeast on this and perhaps it won't be as dry.

Canned on 6/11/18